Feeding mechanism for wire-fence machines.



II n

A. C. MILLS.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR WIRE FENCE MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7, 1913.

Patented J uly 13, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

iao/ 2;"\\"k9 imam 0vv wvmsssss F 1' a 2 I A. C. MILLS.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR WIRE FENCE MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7, I913.

Patented July 13, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SI'IEET 2.

A. C. MILLS.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR WIRE FENCE MACHINES.

APPLICATION F ILED MAR. 7, I9I3.

Patented July 13, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

. x5 33 WIXmssas mm 0v Smson QWIIIs CBLUMBIA Wm co.,wmmmn. D-G

ANSON C. MILLS, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN,

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR WIRE-FENCE MACHINES.

Original application filed. April 13, 1912, Serial No. 690,566.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 1915;

Divided and this application filed March 7,

1913. Serial No. 752,645.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ANsoN C. MILLS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Jackson, in the county of Jackson and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeding Mechanism for Wire-Fence Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to wire fencemaking machines, particularly to the machine of that character described in my eopending application No. 690,566 filed April 13, 191:2, from which the subject-matter of this present application is divided, by requirement of the Patent Office. The object of my present invention is to provide improved feeding mechanism for such machines, which shall feed a continuous wire to the mechanism by which it is formed into fasteners or so-called staples for securely fastening together the crossing wires (the line wires and stay wires); and also to provide such a feeding mechanism which shall be simple and economical in construction and operation; to provide various improved features in such feeding mechanism, hereinafter appearing; to provide an improved guiding device for such wire intermediate the feeding mechanism and the staple-forming machine; to provide various improved features in such guiding device hereinafter appearing. These objects are attained by, and the invention finds a preferable embodiment in, the structure hereinafter described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in vertical section, of certain'operative parts of such a wire fence-making machine with my feeding mechanism and guiding device applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a part of the reverse side thereof, illustrating the power-carrying connections whereby my feeding mechanism is operated by a-moving part of said'machine; Fig. 3 is a like view, enlarged, of the principal parts of my feeding mechanism viewed oppositely to Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a front View of such parts; Fig. 5 is a vertical section of parts shown in Fig. 4 taken on line 5-5 of said figure; Fig. 6 is a detail plan of part of the wire guiding device with a portion of its, supporting member broken away; Fig. 7 is a side view of the same, the supporting member appearing in vertical section; Fig. 8 is a side elevation (parts being shown in vertical section) of portions of the feeding mechanism at the end of its feeding movement, together With parts of the wire guiding device shown in vertical section; and Fig. 9 is a side eleva tion of the same and illustrating the feeding mechanism at the beginning of its feeding movement.

The frame 1 carries on its upper. portion the staple -or fastener forming mechanism, etc. of my said'wire fence-making machine to which my present invention, the wire feeding mechanism and guiding device, is applied. This staple-forming mechanism, designated generally by the reference numeral 2 is no part of my invention sought to bepatented pursuant to this present application and therefore will not be described hereinafter, and is shown merely for the purpose of illustrating the connection of my said present invention with such parts.

My wire feedingvmechanism is operated by any suitable moving part of the general fence-making machine, as by its main driving shaft 3 actuated by any suitable means, as a crank or eccentric not shown, the pitman 4 connected to the crank arm 5 on the rock shaft 6 carrying the crank arm 7 whose pivoted link 8 by its connection with .the wire-feeding lever 9 moves the same upward to feed a staple length of the continuous wire 10 into the staple-forming machine indicated at 2.

To grip the wire and carry the same upward, the movable end of the arm 9, is provided with a bracket 14 having a limited vertical movement on the arm, being held on the arm by a bolt slidable in a slot 30 in the bracket. (See Fig. 5.) Onthis bracket is a fixed gripper l7 and a movable gripperlti pivoted on a stud 13 and havingan arm 12 movement of the arm 9.

having its end 11 within a recess 15 in the arm 9, whereby this gripper 16 is engaged with the wire on the upward or feeding stroke of the arm, and disengaged from the wire on the downward or back stroke of the said arm, during which latter movement the wire is held by a fixed gripper 28 on a bracket 18 and a gripper 27 pivoted to said bracket at 25 and having an arm engaging a recess 26 in a fixed beam 19 on which the bracket 18 is slidably mounted by a bolt slidable in a slot 29 in said bracket.

To shift the bracket 18, it is connected to the bracket 14: by a bar 20 pivoted to the bracket 14 and slidable on anupwardly projecting arm 21 on the bracket 18 and held in contact therewith by a bolt extending through both of the same, and through a clamp 38 provided with an oil cup. On this bolt is a spring 22 whereby the friction between the parts 20 and 21 can be adjusted to be greater than that of the brackets on the arm and beam. The brackets are thus first shifted, and then the bar 20 slides on the arm 21 throughout the balance of the'inovement of the arm 9. On the upper or feeding stroke, the grippers on the bracket 14 first take hold of the wire, the bracket 18 then rises, opening the grippers thereon and leaving the wire free to rise with the further On the down stroke of the arm 9, the grippers are first reversed whereby the grippers on the bracket 18 are first closed to hold the wire and then the grippers on the bracket 14 are opened to let the wire run freely therethrough.

To prevent bending the wire 10, two telescopic tubes 35 and 36 are provided through which the wire is fed, one tube being carried by a collar 33 on the bracket 14 and yieldable laterally therein, the other tube being carried on a fixed beam 37 and likewise yieldable in the same.

To determine the length of the wire to be fed, the rod 4 is slotted where connected to the arm 5 whereby there is lost action at the lower position of the arm 9 and the arm rests on an adjustable screw 31 (see Fi g. 3.) whereby the downward movement of the said arm is limited more or less.

From the foregoing description the opera- ,tion of my invention is obvious without further explanation.

WVhat I claim is:

1. In a wire fence machine, means for feeding wire, comprising a fixed member and a reciprocating member, a wire gripper mounted on each member, and means positively opening said grippers operated by movement of the reciprocating member.

2. In a wire fence machine, means for feeding wire, comprising a reciprocating member, a gripper carried by the same,

means operated by movement of said member for positively closing said gripper during the forward movement of said member and for positively opening said gripper during the opposite movement of said member.

In a wire fence machine, a fixed memher and a reciprocating member, a gripper on each member, means operated by movement of the reciprocating member for alternately and positively opening said grippers.

4. In a wire fence machine, a fixed member and a reciprocating member, a gripper on each member, means for positively and alternately opening and closing said grippers operated by movement of the reciprocating member, whereby the gripper on the fixed member is open and the gripper on the reciprocating member is closed, while the movable member is moving in one direction and the grippers reversed when said member is moving in the opposite direction.

5. In a wire fence machine, means for feeding wire, comprising a stationary beam, a reciprocating beam, a bracket movably mounted on each beam, a wire gripper on each bracket, each gripper opened and closed by the movement of the bracket on the beam, and means for simultaneously moving the brackets on the respective beams to alternately open and close the grippers.

6. In a wire fence machine, Wire feeding mechanism, comprising a stationary beam, a reciprocating beam operated by the machine, brackets on the respective beams, each having a limited sliding movement thereon, a wire gripper on each bracket connected to the respective beam, and means for simultaneously sliding the brackets on the beam to alternately open and close the grippers.

7. In a wire fence machine, means for feeding wire, comprising a fixed beam, a reciprocating beam, a bracket slidably mounted on each beam, connecting members extending between the brackets and slidable on each other, means for adjusting the frictional engagement of said members, a gripper mounted on each bracket, each gripper having an arm engaging the respective beam to alternately open and close the grippers.

8. In a wire fence machine, a fixed beam and a reciprocating beam, a bracket slidably mounted on each beam, a gripper mounted on each bracket, each gripper having an arm engaging a recess in the respective beam, slidably overlapping means connecting the brackets, and an adjustable spring to force said means into frictional contact whereby the brackets are shifted on the beams at the beginning of the movement of the recipro eating beam.

9. In a wire fence machine, a fixed beam, a reciprocating beam, a bracket on each beam having limited sliding movement thereon, a

wire gripper on each bracket consisting of a In testimony whereof I afiix mysignature fixed 15191111061 an}? a pivoted member, each in presence of two Witnesses. pivote member avin an arm en a 'n a recess in the respective beam, and l ezfiis 0r ANSON MILLS 5 simultaneously shifting the brackets on the Witnesses:

beams at the beginning of the movement of F RED J. WARNER, the reciprocating beam. WALTER G. FOSTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

